Thirdly, thy prayers must be fervent: Prayer is a duty which consisteth not in words or expressions, but in the working of the affection; therefore it is called a crying to God, Out of the depth I have cried to thee, Psa. 130. a renting the heart, Joel 2.13. as if the heart were by prayer torn in pieces; and a pouring out the soul, as if the body had been left without life, the soul being departed and ascended to Heaven in holy petitions. The true Beggar is ever earnest for spiritual Alms, he will not let God go without a blessing, Gen. 32. ⟨p. 173⟩Paulus Aemilius, being to fight with the Macedonians, would never give over Sacrificing to his God Hercules, till he had some sign of victory. The Christian is more urgent with the true God, then the Heathen is with his God of clouts. When Daniel prayed, with what force were his words uttered? with what fire was his Sacrifice offered? O Lord hear, O Lord forgive, O Lord defer not for the Lords sake. That wine is best which is fullest of these heavenly spirits; Winter fruits are sour and unpleasant to men, and so are cold petitions to God, Dan. 9.13. Reader when thou art praying for pardon, how shouldst thou even pour out thy soul! Alas when thou considerest if God do not pardon, I perish eternally; if sin be imputed, I am damned, how should thy heart cry out, Have mercy upon me O God, according to thy loving kindness, after the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out mine iniquities; (again) Wash me from mine iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin; (and again) Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities; (once more) Deliver me from blood guiltiness. O God, thou God of my salvation, Psa. 51.1, 2, 11, 14. When thou art begging grace and purity, with what earnestness shouldst thou pray? believing how destructive sin is to thy precious soul, and how offensive to the jealous, just and Almighty God, and in what absolute necessity thou standest in of holiness, without which thou canst never see God. As when the Clock strikes, the Wheels within move notably, we may hear them run round, so when thy tongue is pleading with God ⟨p. 174⟩for remission of sins, and repentance towards God, for the Son of God, the Spirit of God, and thine everlasting Salvation, how should thine heart move? what work should there be among thine affections, to enforce those weighty petitions?
Thirdly, thy prayers must be fervent: Prayer is a duty which consisteth not in words or expressions, but in the working of the affection; therefore it is called a crying to God, Out of the depth I have cryed to thee, Psa. 130. a renting the heart, Joel 2.13. as if the heart were by prayer torn in peices; and a pouring out the soul, as if the body had been left without life, the soul being departed and ascended to Heaven in holy petitions. The true Beggar is ever earnest for spiritual Almes, he will not let God go without a blessing, Gen. 32. ⟨p. 173⟩Paulus Aemilius, being to fight with the Macedonians, would never give over Sacrificing to his God Hercules, till he had some sign of victory. The Christian is more urgent with the true God, then the Heathen is with his God of clouts. When Daniel prayed, with what force were his words uttered? with what fire was his Sacrifice offered? O Lord hear, O Lord forgive, O Lord defer not for the Lords sake. That wine is best which is fullest of these heavenly spirits; Winter fruits are sowre and unplesant to men, and so are cold petitions to God, Dan. 9.13. Reader when thou art praying for pardon, how shouldst thou even poure out thy soul! Alass when thou considerest if God do not pardon, I perish eternally; if sin be imputed, I am damned, how should thy heart cry out, Have mercy upon me O God, according to thy loving kindness, after the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out mine iniquities; (again) Wash me from mine iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin; (and again) Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities; (once more) Deliver me from blood guiltiness. O God, thou God of my salvation, Psa. 51.1, 2, 11, 14. When thou art begging grace and purity, with what earnestness shouldst thou pray? beleiving how destructive sin is to thy precious soul, and how offensive to the jealous, just and Almighty God, and in what absolute necessity thou standest in of holiness, without which thou canst never see God. As when the Clock strikes, the Wheels within move notably, we may hear them run round, so when thy tongue is pleading with God ⟨p. 174⟩for remission of sins, and repentance towards God, for the Son of God, the Spirit of God, and thine everlasting Salvation, how should thine heart move? what work should there be among thine affections, to enforce those weighty petitions?
